This is the most vanilla scheme in the league! So far...and i know its been just two games, but he has to become more creative on defense. Maybe its the players, i dont know...maybe we need more playmakers on defense. But so far, he hasn't put his players in position to make plays. Peyton and donovan were just playing catch with their recievers out there these 1st two games....i see no cornerback blitzes, no zone blitzes, no safety blitz, i dont know....this defense is just horrible.

texflex513

09-17-2006, 07:01 PM

This is the most vanilla scheme in the league! So far...and i know its been just two games, but he has to become more creative on defense. Maybe its the players, i dont know...maybe we need more playmakers on defense. But so far, he hasn't put his players in position to make plays. Peyton and donovan were just playing catch with their recievers out there these 1st two games....i see no cornerback blitzes, no zone blitzes, no safety blitz, i dont know....this defense is just horrible.

RYANS is pretty much our brightest spot on D he is all over the place and has a unreal nose for the ball kinda like sharper did at LB. Our guys need time to play as a unit but the light at the end of the tunnel seems far far away.

underdog65

09-17-2006, 07:07 PM

Has anyone told him that the preseason is over and that these games actually count? Texans need to pressure the opposing quarterbacks before we win anything. In our defense, so far we have faced two probale hall of fame quarterbacks and two of the best offensive lines in the league. Where are the Titans when we really need them.

RTP2110

09-17-2006, 07:32 PM

I'm not bashin Smith just yet for one reason. The two teams we have played so far are very strong offensive teams. Both have Pro Bowl QB's, and both are perrenial playoff teams. I'm going to wait and see how we do in he next couple of games before I make my own assesment.

Porky

09-17-2006, 08:09 PM

This is the most vanilla scheme in the league! So far...and i know its been just two games, but he has to become more creative on defense. Maybe its the players, i dont know...maybe we need more playmakers on defense. But so far, he hasn't put his players in position to make plays. Peyton and donovan were just playing catch with their recievers out there these 1st two games....i see no cornerback blitzes, no zone blitzes, no safety blitz, i dont know....this defense is just horrible.

Totally agree. I am still waiting for this balls to the wall blitzkrieg we were promised. This guy makes Fangio look like a riverboat gambler. If this were any more vanilla, it would be on the menu at Dairy Queen.

Houston_Fanatic

09-17-2006, 08:17 PM

Vanilla would be ok if it were SOLID, but our defense needs a lot of work.

Hervoyel

09-17-2006, 09:09 PM

I look at our defense and I see a bunch of guys all being asked to either do new things or to do things they haven't done in a while.

First of all I see a pair of rookies in Mario Williams and DeMeco Ryans. Rookies are always going to be rookies and the only time rookies ever just blow up right out of the gate is when they're put into a no-lose scenario where they're surrounded by a stable, quality supporting cast. Name me one rookie who came into an environment like the current Texans defense and who lit the world on fire. It may have happened before but I can't remember it.

Then you have Travis Johnson. Last years #1 wasn't asked to do squat by the previous "administration". He's being asked to contribute on an every down basis. Honestly TJ is either going to develop or he's going to be kicked to the curb by this coaching staff. I don't expect him to start hot. I expect him to start like the fat underachieving "man-child" he was last year. He's exceeded my expectations so far. I think it's the influence of Seth Payne. Seth does whatever you ask him to do and he does it well. Still, he's adjusting back to the 4-3 like everyone else.

Then we've got Jason Babin and Antwan Peek. Guys coming back to DE after a few years of pretending to be 3-4 linebackers. I don't expect them to start the season strong. I expect them to take a few weeks (maybe even a month or so) to get accustomed to playing at their new/old spot.

The rest of the linebackers I think are just very average and trying to get into some kind of comfort zone in this defense. There's already so much "in flux" here that it's no surprise that they're not stopping much of anything. The same thing goes for our defensive backs. Earl and Brown are hitters but they're also liabilities in pass coverage. Robinson looks frustrated to me and Sanders looks overmatched. They all look a step slower than they should be.

edo783

09-17-2006, 09:37 PM

I look at our defense and I see a bunch of guys all being asked to either do new things or to do things they haven't done in a while.

First of all I see a pair of rookies in Mario Williams and DeMeco Ryans. Rookies are always going to be rookies and the only time rookies ever just blow up right out of the gate is when they're put into a no-lose scenario where they're surrounded by a stable, quality supporting cast. Name me one rookie who came into an environment like the current Texans defense and who lit the world on fire. It may have happened before but I can't remember it.

Then you have Travis Johnson. Last years #1 wasn't asked to do squat by the previous "administration". He's being asked to contribute on an every down basis. Honestly TJ is either going to develop or he's going to be kicked to the curb by this coaching staff. I don't expect him to start hot. I expect him to start like the fat underachieving "man-child" he was last year. He's exceeded my expectations so far. I think it's the influence of Seth Payne. Seth does whatever you ask him to do and he does it well. Still, he's adjusting back to the 4-3 like everyone else.

Then we've got Jason Babin and Antwan Peek. Guys coming back to DE after a few years of pretending to be 3-4 linebackers. I don't expect them to start the season strong. I expect them to take a few weeks (maybe even a month or so) to get accustomed to playing at their new/old spot.

The rest of the linebackers I think are just very average and trying to get into some kind of comfort zone in this defense. There's already so much "in flux" here that it's no surprise that they're not stopping much of anything. The same thing goes for our defensive backs. Earl and Brown are hitters but they're also liabilities in pass coverage. Robinson looks frustrated to me and Sanders looks overmatched. They all look a step slower than they should be.

Good post Herv, especially the last part about a step slow. To me, our entire defense looks a tad slow.

humbleone

09-18-2006, 12:16 PM

I forgot who it was, but somebody last week posted an interesting idea...what would our pressure look like from a 5-2-4 or 5-3-3 set look like.

I for one, would like to see us give this set a test. Overall, the talent of our D-line is better than our linebackers and defensive backfield and therefore we might improve the D by having one more of them on the field more. Second, we play "soft" coverage on receivers anyway (trying to keep everything in front of them) and our safeties may be our weakest link on the team therefore why not trade one of them (CC Brown) for an extra DL as one of our primary base packages?

If we do it, I'll bet we look better in a 5-3-3 than a 5-2-4 btw.

:stirpot:

NATHANHALE

09-18-2006, 12:36 PM

Totally agree. I am still waiting for this balls to the wall blitzkrieg we were promised. This guy makes Fangio look like a riverboat gambler. If this were any more vanilla, it would be on the menu at Dairy Queen.

Kubiak said after the Eagles game he does not want to blitz-despite our success in pre season-wants to get pressure from just the front 4...